


Falling for Your Best Mate

by Skyler10



Series: Family Fic [15]
Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who & Related Fandoms, Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Daddy Doctor, F/M, Mother-Daughter Relationship, Mum Rose
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-05
Updated: 2016-06-05
Packaged: 2018-07-12 12:55:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,687
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7104295
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Skyler10/pseuds/Skyler10
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Piper, 19 and home for the summer from uni, has to tell her mum, Agent Rose Tyler, about the ordinary boy she’s fallen for. With all of time and space to choose from, will her parents approve of someone so… human?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Falling for Your Best Mate

**Author's Note:**

> Sequel to “The One and Only Time Aliens Tried to Kidnap Me.” Mother-daughter bonding and a little Daddy!Doctor at the end.

With her dad and her brother off playing video games, Piper finally had a girls’ night alone with her mum. In keeping with tradition, Rose was braiding Piper’s hair while they watched a romantic movie.

“How’d you get so good at this, anyway? I’ve never asked.”

“Surely I’ve told you. Your gran used to be a hairdresser. Taught me all she knew.”

“In your old universe?”

“Yep. Before your dad swept me away that is.”

A few minutes ticked by, much to Rose’s surprise. Usually mentions of the old universe and their past adventures had Piper asking loads of questions about what it was like. Or at the least she would beg for a story. Tonight, however, they just watched as the couple on the telly stared longingly into each other’s eyes.

“Mum, I need to tell you something.” Piper’s tone told Rose whatever it was, her daughter took it very seriously. And who was she to judge? At 19, Rose had done some pretty serious things, not to mention save the world a few times.

“I’m all ears,” she replied, tying off a French braid and allowing Piper to face her.

Piper got up from the floor and sat next to her mother, gathering the courage to admit this secret she’d been carrying around ever since she’d arrived home for summer holiday.

“Mum, you can’t tell anyone. Promise. Not even Dad.”

Rose furrowed her brow. Perhaps this was serious indeed.

“You know I can’t promise that, love. Not until I know what it is.”

“Please, Mum, it’s good… I think. But Dad wouldn’t understand.”

“Oh, alright,” Rose sighed reluctantly. “But do tell me; you’ve got me all worried now.”

Piper bit her lip in a way that looked so like herself, Rose had to hide a smile.

“You know Luke?”

“Luke… hm… Green eyes, great hair, the kid who has spent so much of his life in this house he could be my own son? That Luke?” Rose deadpanned and tightened her lips to keep from laughing. Oh, this was going to be good.

“Ahh, yeah. Yes. That Luke,” Piper told the carpet. “You see, it’s just um, I have feelings for him that aren’t, you know.”

“Like a brother and sister.”

“Yeah, exactly. He’s… oh Mum.” Piper finally met her mother’s twinkling eyes. “Things have changed. He’s changed this year.”

“You both have. And does he…?” Rose searched her expression for whether this was about to becoming a consoling conversation or something more joyful.

“I think so.” A slow grin grew on Piper’s face and Rose let out a sigh of relief she wasn’t aware she had been holding. “He doesn’t correct people when they assume we’re a couple. And when he wants to go on adventures, even if it’s just to try out a new pub or he’s discovered the perfect picnic spot or something… he always takes my hand and drags me along. And every time it’s worth it. Because it’s him, you know.”

Rose swallowed back nostalgic tears as she nodded. “Oh, love, do I ever.”

“I know it’s not as exciting as you and Dad, and you both probably think I could do better. I dunno, a prince or some famous genius from a superior planet, but I don’t _want_ anyone else, Mum. I just want him!” Piper tried to rein in her emotions, already getting defensive when her mother hadn’t even said no yet. “He may not be the Lord of Time, but he’s my best mate and that’s good enough for me.”

“You know that’s what made me fall in love with your father, right? It wasn’t that he was the _Lord_ _of Time_ or any of that pretentious nonsense,” Rose reassured. “It was being best mates, traveling the universe together, those little moments. And no, it’s not the same. I didn’t go to university or even get my A-Levels; I ran away with a madman in a box.”

This made Piper giggle despite her determination. Rose stroked her daughter’s arm and continued:

“But don’t think just because it’s different than my story that your life is ordinary or boring or not good enough. First off, there’s very little ordinary or boring about our lives. And second, Luke is a great kid. And I know him and I know you and I’d say there’s a perfect match if I ever saw one.”

“Really?!” Piper sat up straighter and beamed.

“I’m not saying it will be easy, or that he loves you back, or that it will work out, ok?” Rose held up her hands in caution. “But if you’re asking if I approve…”

Rose smiled and opened her arms for a hug, which Piper gladly accepted.

“However.” Rose pulled away and held tight to her daughter’s arms. “If you’re going to be dating, no sneaking around. We have to tell Dad.”

“Do _have_ to?” Piper asked in a small voice.

“We _have_ to tell Dad. Don’t worry! He’s taken Luke in the TARDIS. You know he wouldn’t have done that if he didn’t trust him completely.”

Piper raised an eyebrow and blinked.

“Ok, he can be a little over-protective,” Rose conceded. “But it’s only because he wants what’s best for you and he loves you. And wants you to be happy.”

“Can you tell him?” Piper sighed.

Rose thought for a moment. She really should make Piper tell him, adult to adult, but Rose also knew herself. She wouldn’t be able to keep it a secret from her husband that long.

“On one condition,” Rose said in her no-room-for-negotiation voice. “You understand that you can always tell me anything, ok?”

A heaviness set in as Piper caught Rose’s tense body language.

“Yeah, I know,” she answered.

“No, there are things you don’t know.” Rose shook her head. “Before your dad, you know about Mickey. But there was a boy before him. A boy that didn’t treat me right. And it took me far, far too long to tell my mum.”

“But you and Gran are so close--”

“Not back then. And not about this.” Rose’s heart pounded as she relayed this bit of her past to her daughter, a conversation she realized they should have had a long time ago. “I just want you to know, no matter who you are with or who says they love you or what they try to make you believe about yourself, you can _always_ tell me anything. I love you. No matter what.”

“I love you too, Mum.” Piper hugged her mother tight, understanding this vague hint of the past had cost Rose a lot to reveal.

The sound of the boys of the house came clattering through the hall and into the media room.

“AND THEN IT WAS LIKE WHAM!”

“Yes, son, that was remarkable. Excellent angle on that one,” the Doctor got out around a yawn. He pointed down the hall. “Off to bed now. Good lad.”

He peeked into the room and caught sight of the mother-daughter moment. “Everything alright in here?”

Rose and Piper exchanged glances.

“Yeah, everything’s fine. Time for bed though.”

“Thanks for tonight, Mum. Goodnight, Dad.” Piper stopped to kiss her father on the cheek as she passed him, leaving her parents alone for the night.

The Doctor collapsed on the sofa next to his wife and wiped a hand over his face.

“Busy night?” Rose smirked at his clear exhaustion.

“You could say that,” he mumbled and pulled her close. “You?”

“They finally see it for themselves.”

“Who?”

“Piper and Luke.”

The Doctor hummed and nuzzled her hair. “And before the end of the summer. I’d say you owe me 10 quid, Mrs. Tyler.”

“That’s _Agent_ to you, cheater,” she giggled. “Youuu bet they would go out first and they haven’t. She told me instead. 10 quid, mister.”

“Ohhh, you and your technicalities.” He tickled her side and she laughed harder. He was too tired to keep it up though. Instead they just stretched out on the length of the sofa and cuddled.

“I do have to tell you one thing she said though,” Rose murmured after a while. “I could barely keep it together, it’s so funny.”

“What’s that?”

“She was afraid you wouldn’t approve because he’s just a normal human.”

“Well, he’s on track to become a Torchwood agent and he travels with us. Not exactly normal now, is he?”

“No, you don’t get it. I was afraid Mum wouldn’t approve of us because you’re alien. _Our_ daughter was afraid to tell us she’s fallen for a human.” Rose’s body shook against his with the humor of it.

“That is pretty funny.” He joined her in laughter.

“Oh, Doctor. I really want it to work out for them. And not just because I can’t stand to see her hurt. But he’s so good for her. And she brings out the best in him. She thought we’d want her with some prince or someone, but… they just remind me so much of us.”

“Me too.” He leaned down to kiss her temple.

“That isn’t going to keep you from giving your dad speech though, is it?” she asked, already knowing the answer.

“Oh, of course not,” he scoffed. “The dad speech is definitely coming out. First date. Just because I like him doesn’t change that he’s dating our little girl.”

“Not so little anymore, love. Same age I was when I ran off with you.”

“No… that isn’t possible.”

Rose turned over in his arms and kissed his nose.

“Yep. Consider ourselves lucky. At least he won’t accidentally skip ahead a year.” Her teasing tongue-touched grin hadn’t changed in all those years and was quickly melting his fake pout.

“We are NOT teaching them to drive the TARDIS. And there need to be some ground rules when he travels with us. And no more wandering off!”

Rose just laughed some more and kissed his lips this time, knowing there would likely be much more wandering off in the future. This was _their_ offspring they were talking about, after all.

Far be it from her to shelter her daughter from a life this fantastic.


End file.
